Who better to present the majesty of Russia’s sloping mountains, as well as its “glass of signature perfection” (*cough*vodka*cough*) than Tyrion Lannister himself? Dinklage’s unmistakable, commanding baritone brought the Olympics back to a happy place – albeit briefly – for the millions of Game of Thrones fans watching, most notably when he uttered the familiar-sounding phrase, “Winter will not be a burden.“

3. Matt Lauer’s and Meredith Vieira’s Version of Russian (and Catchphrases) for Dummies

The commentary by the NBC anchors was not only painful, it was flat-out lazy. During the Parade of Nations, when the order inexplicably (to some) jumped from Brazil to Macedonia, Vieira helpfully offered this gem to confused Americans at home: “The order of these countries is based on the Cyrillic alphabet. If you need more information, Google it.” Later on in the broadcast, Lauer reached out to the over-65 crowd (and non-Drake fans) by explaining what “YOLO” means.

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Providing a much-needed counterbalance to Lauer’s and Vieira’s dumbed-down comments, New Yorker editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Remnick won the night with his insightful observations, and for not being afraid to speak the truth: “[Putin] doesn’t care if the world thinks he’s an autocrat.”

5. Whitewashed Russian History

When you need to get through 1,000 years of history in a handful of hours, sure, license needs to be taken. So we got the pageantry of the white-horse troika, a “candyland” version of Russian architecture and the bathed-in-soft-light ballroom scene from War and Peace. The Russian Revolution of 1917, however, was skipped over completely in favor of an idealized version of the Soviet Union, featuring a giant hammer and sickle, plenty of red, lots of industrialization, the “Trolololo” song and a celebration of Soviet athleticism (points taken off for the failure to mention Ivan Drago).

6. The Russian Olympic Team Enters the Stadium to t.A.T.u

That and the faux-lesbian band did perform during the Opening Ceremonies, but for whatever reasons, didn’t make it to NBC’s prime-time broadcast. Still, the poetic irony of Putin’s pride and joy, the Russian Olympic team, marching into Fisht Stadium to the strains of “Not Gonna Get Us” was not lost on anyone who disagrees with the Russian president’s stance on homosexuals.

Ever the trouper, an exhausted-looking Bob Costas chatted up an equally exhausted-looking Obama about gay rights, Vladimir Putin’s sense of humor and “older” U.S. athletes like Shaun White. The veteran sports anchor was mercifully granted a reprieve from covering the Opening Ceremonies in order to nurse what has to be the most famous eye infection on record.